The Problem With Heroes
by HyLarryous
Summary: A sleepless night for Jaune leads to a conversation with Ruby and Yangs father about the nature of heroes and the sacrifices they make.
**Hey there everybody, it's me again and while I know some of you were hoping for another chapter of Promises or Road Trip I want you to know I'm still working on them. This poorly written one shot came from a video I saw on tumblr. The video was just a bunch of scenes from the last episode of RWBY Season 3 with a voice over of Church from RvB (I think it was his speech at the end of season 13 but I could be wrong) and it made me think; since Burnie voices both Church and Taiyang, why not just have Tai make the same speech. So with that idea in mind I set to work, and now it's a thing. I hope you enjoy it.**

Jaune walked into the small kitchen of Ruby and Yangs home. He couldn't sleep, hadn't been able to since the funeral. Whenever he tried to sleep his thoughts and dreams were of volcanic red hair, bright green eyes, and that soft smile she always had when she looked at him.

He turned the water on and splashed some on his face, hoping it would hold back the inevitable tears a bit longer. It always ended like that, with him crying over what could have been had he not been so blind, and what had been taken away from him by that woman.

And no matter how much he was told by his friends or told him _self_ that he wouldn't have made a real difference in that fight, that he would have been killed right alongside her, it didn't stop him from thinking that he could have done _something_ to help, even if it bought her only a few seconds to land the decisive blow.

A bead of moisture hit the back of his hand, another landed in the sink with a soft _plink_. He sank to his knees, trying to hold in his sobs so he wouldn't wake his teammates sleeping in the living room, or Ruby and Yang or their father, who'd been kind enough to open his home to them.

Soft footsteps behind him and a shadow falling over him made him turn around. He met the concerned blue eyes of Taiyang Xiao Long. "I was gonna ask if you were okay but it seemed kinda obvious you aren't, especially with everything that's happened." Taiyang said with an awkward smile.

Jaune sniffled and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry if I woke you." he said, grabbing a paper towel from the roll by the sink and blowing his nose.

Taiyang waved away Jaunes apology. "I'm a light sleeper even on the best of days. Comes from being a father of kids that didn't sleep at night." he said.

Jaune did his best to smile, though it came out strained. Taiyang knew that smile all too well. He'd worn it himself after Summer died, when he had to claw out of the despair and sadness for the sake of the two little girls that were all he had left. Well, that and a drunken jackass.

"Your partner, Pyrrha, she was killed by that woman, the one that hijacked the TV's and radios?" he asked the younger man.

Jaune nodded. "She died fighting for something greater than herself. She wanted to save the world." he said, wiping his eyes before more tears could fall. "She died a hero."

Taiyang seemed to bristle at those words. "There are always heroes. History is full of them, and they're in all the stories my wife and I used to read to Ruby when she was little. At least until Ruby's mother died a hero's death." he said, walking over to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of beer.

Jaune looked at him with a confused expression as the older Huntsman continued speaking. "There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero . . ." he paused and took a shaky breath, flicking the cap off his beer with his thumb, "The hero never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved." Taiyang looked at the floor, and a tear rolled down his cheek. He met Jaunes gaze, and the young knight saw a lifetime of pain and heartache much like his own but so much worse, shining in his eyes.

"In the end, they just have to have faith." he finished, holding the bottle to his lips, though before he took a drink he added, "Ain't that a bitch?"

He then proceeded to drain his beer in one long pull.

"The problem with heroes is that sometimes, their sacrifice is meaningless. Sometimes they lay down their life battling some powerful enemy, and it doesn't lead to a victory. And even if it does, it still leaves their families to grieve, to bear that loss for the rest of their lives. They didn't want a hero. Children wanted their mother or father to come home. Spouses wanted their significant other to walk through the door and say 'I'm home. I missed you so much.'"

Taiyang blinked a few times and ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry. I shouldn't unload this kinda stuff on you, especially after everything you've been through." he said.

Jaune shook his head. "It's okay, you're not entirely wrong. My family has a lot of heroes in it. Some of them _did_ end up making a meaningless sacrifice, others didn't. That doesn't make what they did any less brave, or sad. They had to know what they were up against, what the consequences would be. But maybe that's where the faith comes from; that they're sacrifice will lead to a greater victory later on. I like to think that Pyrrhas' sacrifice was like that, that even though she failed, she paved the way for someone who could _win_."

Taiyang grew silent, his expression contemplative. "It's certainly something to consider, and hopefully Pyrrhas' sacrifice will have some kind of meaning. Someone like her deserves it." he said, heading out of the kitchen and back to his room, leaving Jaune alone with his thoughts.

"Jaune." Taiyang said, leaning back around the doorway. "If I know Ruby, she'll want to go after this woman who killed her friend. And I have a feeling you and the rest of your team would go with her. So do me a favor; don't let her be a hero. One's enough for this family."

With that said, he truly left, his footsteps echoing in the hallway and ending with the soft creak and click of a door being shut.


End file.
